Morphological, cytological, and biochemical changes of Anguilla anguilla L. gills deprived of Stannius corpuscles (S. C.) (author's transl)

In the silver female eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) maintained in fresh water, surgical removal of Stannius corpuscles (SC) resulted in: a) A significant increase of wet weight of gill cells and the dry weight of gill filaments expressed as function of body weight. b) A proliferation and a hypertrophy of chloride cells shown by a significant rise of cell volume expressed as a precentage of the epithelial volume. c) An increase of the calcium (Ca) binding protein activity in the total branchial mucosa. These modifications are not observed when eels are maintained in Ca-free water. The results are discussed in relation to the Ca fluxes across gills in eels deprived of SC and gill morphological changes during sea water adaptation.     

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for low-grade lymphoma

Advanced low-grade lymphomas are usually incurable with conventional-dose chemotherapy. It is uncertain whether cures are possible with high-dose therapy and bone marrow transplant from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling. We sought to determine the outcome of HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants in advanced low-grade lymphoma in an observational study of 113 patients conducted at 50 centers participating in the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR). The median patient age was 38 years (range, 15 to 61). Eighty percent had stage IV disease at the time of transplantation. The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was two (range, 0 to 5). Thirty-eight percent had refractory disease and 29% a Karnofsky performance score (KPS) less than 80%. All patients underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from a HLA-identical sibling donor. The conditioning regimen included total-body irradiation (TBI) in 82% of patients; cyclosporine was used for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in 74%. Survival, disease-free survival, recurrence rate, treatment-related mortality, and causes of death were determined. Three-year probabilities of recurrence, survival, and disease-free survival were 16% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9% to 27%), 49% (95% CI, 39% to 60%), and 49% (95% CI, 39% to 59%), respectively. Higher survival was associated with pretransplant KPS >/=90%, chemotherapy-sensitive disease, use of a TBI-containing conditioning regimen, and age less than 40 years. We conclude that high-dose therapy followed by transplantation from a HLA-identical sibling leads to prolonged survival in some patients with advanced low-grade lymphoma. Most mortality is treatment-related, and recurrences are rare.     

Effect of escalating doses of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) on circulating neutrophils in healthy subjects

The safety profile, tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of four doses of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) were assessed in healthy volunteers in a double-masked, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Healthy subjects received subcutaneous injections of filgrastim 75 microg (n = 8), 150 microg (n = 4), 300 microg (n = 4), 600 microg (n = 8), or placebo (n = 6) daily for 10 consecutive days. Blood samples were drawn daily immediately before the injection and on days 1 and 10 serially throughout the day. Increased absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) were seen within 90 minutes of drug administration in subjects in all dose groups, peaking approximately 12 hours after administration. This increase was dose related in subjects in the three lower dose groups. The time to peak ANC on day 10 was approximately 9 hours, with a daily ANC profile in all four dose groups that was similar to the profile on day 1. In all dose groups, ANCs were near baseline within 48 hours of discontinuation of filgrastim. Mild, reversible thrombocytopenia was reported in 4 of 10 subjects in the highest dose group. Two subjects in the filgrastim 600-microg group were withdrawn for adverse events. Filgrastim had a good safety profile and caused dose-related increases in ANC when administered to healthy volunteers for up to 10 days.     

Mural thrombosis after experimental carotid endarterectomy

The incidence of mural thrombosis following three types of experimental intimal injuries at common carotid arteries, was investigated in a series of 12 dogs. Mural thrombosis was obtained at each of the intimal lesions. Moreover, obstructive thrombosis occurred in three instances. Further investigation of thrombi revealed that partial fragmentation occurred when exposed to hydrodynamic forces. These results suggest that mural thrombosis following carotid endarterectomy in humans, is possibly more frequent and significant than it is generally appreciated, thus leading to the consideration of postoperative anticoagulation after endarterectomy, as a means to minimize the incidence of postoperative embolic cerebrovascular accidents.